Kamil Ziegler, financial director, PPF

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
First I wanted to be a mason, then a lawyer. Then I considered chemistry, and finally a banker (after I read Hailey’s The Moneychangers).

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Shrek.

What is your favorite daytime activity?
Sleeping or playing with my young daughter.

Where will you never go back to?
The army.

What was the last thing that was stolen from you?
My son ate the last cutlet at Sunday lunch.

What gift would you like to receive?
One more child.

What is never missing from your fridge?
A bottle of good white wine.

Your favorite saying?
If your goals are small you’ll never get anywhere.

What state of mind are you in now?
I went for a run and my feet hurt, I drink white wine and smoke cigars. A while ago my daughter kissed me good night, so I’m in a good mood.

How would you like to die?
At age 81, while serving on a court. Having been in great health up to that moment.

What do you like about men, and what do you despise?
On principle I like women. Men are sometimes too self-satisfied.

What do you like about women, and what do you despise?
Because they’re women. And because they have greater staying power. There isn’t anything I really can’t stand about them. Maybe just when some of them act like men.

Are you lucky in life?
Luck never comes by itself, a person has to help it a lot. I’m infinitely grateful for it.

What is the most fruitful investment you’ve ever made?
My family. It’s impossible to measure the returnability of that investment. It’s by definition endlessly high.

If you had to give up one of your senses, which would it be?
None. I admire people who can live without one. But sometimes when I get upset I act like I’ve been “stripped of my senses.”

How do you get up in the morning?
I look forward to every new day. We never know how many of them we have ahead of us.

Which action hero would you like to play, and why?
What exactly is an “action hero?” If Maxipes Fík is one, then yes, since he’s always in a good mood.

Would you like to travel in space?
I like having my feet on the ground, so I’d rather not.

What would be the first thing you would say to an alien?
I’d tell him to learn about the successful business of the PPF group.

Have you ever made an unusual bet, and how did it work out?
When I was growing up I bet a chocolate bar that I’d write a love poem for a girl and that she’d fall in love with me because of it. It didn’t work out – but we’ve been great friends for over 25 years.

Do you like happy endings?
In life, yes. If I watched movies, maybe then, too.